Former UNH Great Gordie Clark Named To ECAC Hockey 50th Anniversary Team

Mar 15, 2011

ALBANY, N.Y. – Former University of New Hampshire hockey player Gordie Clark, the school's first two-time All-America honoree (1973, '74), has been named to the ECAC Hockey 50th Anniversary Team, the conference announced Wednesday. Clark joins Ralph Cox as Wildcat alums feted among the league's all-time best 50 players.

Clark, who was inducted into the Wildcat Athletics Council Hall of Fame in 1982, was a three-time All-ECAC First Team selection (1972-74), compiling 76 goals and 86 assists for 162 points in 90 collegiate games. His top season came as a sophomore in '71-72 when he tallied career highs in goals (27), assists (30) and points (57) en route to the team's most improved player award. The Glasgow, Scotland, native was a two-time winner ('73,'74) of the Roger A. Leclerc Trophy, presented annually to UNH's team most valuable player, and earned the squad's 1973 Ted Karmeris Fan Favorite Award.

As the Wildcats' captain during the '73-74 season, Clark capped his collegiate career by being named All-New England, winning the Leonard Fowle Award as the New England Player of the Year and capturing the Herb Gallagher Award as New England's outstanding forward. Following graduation, Clark played for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association (WHA). The majority of his professional career took place in the American Hockey League (AHL), where he amassed 267 goals and 332 assists for 599 points during a nine-year career that spanned 540 games. His finest pro season came with the 1981-82 Maine Mariners, where he registered 50 goals and 51 assists for 101 points in 80 games.

Following his playing career, Clark served as an assistant coach for the Bruins (1989-92) and the New York Islanders (1996-98).

As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, ECAC Hockey has comprised a group of its top 50 players to recognize the storied history of the league and honor its significant players. The top 50 players were determined by a selection committee of former coaches and media members. These honorees were tallied from 145 players (47 defensemen; 73 forwards; and 25 goaltenders).

All current and former teams' impactful players, including those from Boston College, Boston University, UNH, Middlebury, Army, etc. were reviewed in comprising the list of candidates for the special team. Five players from the 50th Anniversary Team were released every two weeks throughout the season leading up the championship in March 18­19 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Cox was named to the team December 22, 2010.

Throughout its history, ECAC Hockey has been home to seven NCAA men's championship teams, witnessed over 15,000 games, produced more than 500 National Hockey Leaguers, nearly 300 All­Americans, three Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners, and over 1,100 student­athletes who have earned All­Academic honors since 1999­2000, the first year the league recognized these individuals.